Pendalton,

hello you. so warrior dash... rock! i unfortunately didn't take but 2 or so pics from my cellphone. in hindsight i wouldve taken a water proof cam with as i had time. but maryann will hopefully let me download some of the highlights so those of you not stalking me on facebook will be able to see them.

we got there early enough. the vibe was subdued but for a few rolicking types in full regalia sending out warrior cries with flowing beards. the rest of us weren't sure what exactly we'd gotten in to. and once we'd lined up to start doubly so. the first experiment is in pack mentality. it is enormous pressure to not run with the herd. to deliberately draw yourself back, and say, I will not run. I will not run. and watch them disappear in a literal cloud of dust. And as I encounterd each obstacle none of them were that scary. I can imagine the energy as lots of people mightve surged over the stack of haybales but by myself i smirked and clambered over with no competition in sight and the asian girl volunteers stopped tweeting long enough to be all, like, woo! and you can do it! and then went back to looking bored. clambering over the vehicles, no problem. and my breathing was good as i took some water at the 1/2 point, and complained to the guys that a 3ft wall, 3 in a row, regardless- sucks. granted had it been taller i would've actually had to face the question if i could pull myself up it, but maybe another year of training (or 2) i can face a truly scary course like 'the camp pendleton mud run' which has a time limit of 2 hours and 45min in which you must traverse over 6 miles. it sounds like you might actually have to dash this course in order to do it.

but back to my race. half way through i found it shockingly curious i had not been overcome by the 2nd wave. I'd gotten far enough, about the 1/2 way point and should've faced another pack of people battering their way through the cardboard tube that i shuffled through and then some more lovely landscape of blooming heather in this flat field of a landscape, moored by rolling hills and green grass, birds overhead and a golf course nearby, but none came to challenge me. It was gorgeous. But still as I went over the gully of sharp rocks on a plank, which did require balance and then up and down the loose rocks to then yes, leap over some tumbleweeds, still not overtaken, I was nearly there. I hit the not so vertical rope wall and only then some very tired 2nd wave folks came by, but few. And then after I vanquished the upthehill tire obstacle, i stopped to chat about the race with a curious volunteer and then turned the corner to yes take a running start at the wall of fire. which as it billowed its smoke and blackness, the flames funneling toward you because of the wind, i felt a sensation of being warm as I did in fact leap over it, and then jog walked down the bank into the cold water and as i lifted my leg on the first one nearly lost my shoe in the silt, but luckily with a little height advantage managed to make it over the next 2 no problem. i admit some humourous shots were taken. and heard as i dove into the mud, which was more like a watery loam-like compost, the cheers of my friends who had finished the course, filled me with humor, i made it with good spirits through and then ran the rest of the .08 through to the finish line.

Hazah!

i then had a banana, which you know in doing anything really taxing its totally a good thing to do. (did not help as my calf was seizing as i walked toward the car however and is still strangely sore today-) i then capped it off with water and gatorade and then went to frolick in the water channel nearby to clean myself off proper. (more excellent pics taken here) and then found out later that the 2nd wave- and this is epic- went 2 (two) miles in the WRONG direction. All of them. The whole fast running lot, like lemmings off a cliff. And were only after a bit, tracked down by a person in a golf cart and told to turn around. mwah! awesome.

by then the happy endorphins of exercise and fun had kicked in and all of us were pleased to be walking around dirty, tracking down our free beer, buying turkey legs to eat, (which i like way more in theory then in actuality) and then we all got stuck in traffic on our way to chick-fil-a. were more giddyness abounded as we wore our newly aquired viking helmets, medals and t-shirts... it is quite possible the next day at church we showed up in the hats, but that is only rumor.